Understanding The Physical Nation of Israel

Israel: The Kingdom’s 42^nd Immortal Generation

Today’s Focus: Understanding The Physical Nation of Israel

Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:2-5; Exodus 19:5,6

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Now we know that God made Abraham and his seed beneficiaries of the covenant between God and God that He would have sons. Now we know that it would the seed of Abraham that will ultimately bring Christ. We know that also in Abraham’s seed was Jacob because Abraham was Jacob’s grandfather and Isaac was Jacob’s father. We know that upon Jacob wrestling with God his name we changed to Israel and it will be Israel that would carry the name of God through that age of time.

The physical nation of Israel was very unique in the sense that it was a family made up of fathers and sons (Hebrew for offspring including male and female). Jacob (Israel) had 12 sons. These twelve sons would be twelve patriarchs having children and those children having children and so on. Now you may notice that these descendents of Jacob bared His new name because God referred to the nation as the children of Israel. So not only was the firstborn son, Jacob called Israel but also everyone born of him was called Israel (very important to remember).

Israel would go through some traumatic situations as a nation. Most importantly 432 years in Egypt. They were delivered by the hand of God through the sea. Upon their deliverance they would come to Mt. Sinai and be offered the first covenant to become sons of God which would would make them a Royal Priesthood.

Exodus 19:5,6: Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and KEEP MY COVENANT, then YE SHALL BE a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye SHALL BE unto me a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Now we know that there is a covenant being made available because verse 5 says so. But look at what God tells them: IF YOU KEEP MY COVENANT, THEN YOU SHALL BE. In other words, if you do not keep this covenant then you will not be. What will you not be: A KINGDOM OF PRIEST AND HOLY NATION.

Question: DID ISRAEL KEEP OR RECEIVE THIS COVENANT WHICH WOULD MAKE THEM A ROYAL PREISTHOOD?

NO THEY DID NOT! They reject that offer and because of God’s love, immutable counsel, goodness and mercy. God made ANOTHER covenant with the children of Israel in Horeb which would make them a physical nation. This covenant would be the Law of Moses. Let’s prove it.

Deuteronomy 5:2-5: The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord MADE NOT THIS COVENANT WITH OUR FATHERS, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day (children of Israel who were delivered from Egypt). The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, (I stood between the Lord and you at that time, TO SHEW YOU THE WORD OF THE LORD: FOR YE WERE AFRAID BY REASON OF THE FIRE, AND WENT NOT UP INTO THE MOUNT;)

God told the children of Israel to wash their clothes, sanctify themselves and get ready because the Lord will descend on the mount on the third day. When the third day came, the Lord came on the mount and because of fear, they chose not to come up and receive the first covenant of sonship. The Law of Moses was given to the children of Israel to make them a nation of laws, ordinances and decrees. In addition, God set aside the family of Aaron which is of the tribe of Levi to be the priesthood of the nation. God would tell the nation what to do and how to set up certain things, especially the temple. He gave them a pattern to follow and they followed it exactly as God designed it. He gave them feasts and holidays to observe and perpetually keep.

This entire process of the second covenant is a type and shadow of something to come. In the next message we will look at physical Israel and the coming of the Messiah.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Israel: The Kingdom's 42nd Immortal Generation

Israel: The Kingdom’s 42^nd Immortal Generation

Today’s Focus: Introduction

Scripture: Genesis 32:24-28

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

This will be, in my eyes, one of the most unique but important topics I have had the privilege to study and to understand. You may ask why are we studying about Israel? We know that they are God’s chosen people and we know that we should love Israel or we will be cursed. We have heard all these things and have read them in scripture but what is the depth of our understanding on this topic. One of the things God has shown me in this season is an importance to understand who you are. This study will open your eyes a little more and moreover you will begin to understand why there is such a focus on shifting from the institutional model of church to the household model. Let’s get right to it.

The first time that we see the word Israel in scripture is when God changes Jacob’s name to Israel. In Genesis 32:24-28 we see the story of Jacob wrestling with a man till the break of day. Jacob thought that he was wrestling with Esau because remember Jacob stole Esau’s birthright and tried to gather all the spoils he could to try to make it right with him. However this “man” whom Jacob was wrestling with touched the hollow of his thigh and his thigh was out of joint. The “man” said “Let me go” and Jacob said “I will not let you go until you bless me”. Now the man asked Jacob what was his name? Jacob told the man his name. Now this is very important because names carried meanings in that day. The name Jacob means “supplanter, offender, crook or deceiver”. Now does this name fit the mold of who Jacob was? Absolutely because he used deception to steal the birthright. So Jacob telling the man his name was also a confession of what Jacob did.

Genesis 32:28: And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

Now this is where it gets good. The changing of one’s name was a symbolic of the change of creation and purpose. The change from Jacob to Israel is to understand that Jacob wrestled with his past sins and overcame them by holding on to God. No longer is Jacob a deceiver (sinner) but now he is a prince (saint). So what does the name Israel mean?

Israel is the word in the Greek spelled Yisrael and this is how the word is broken up:

Yi – This is the masculine Hebrew word for “He”

Sra – comes from the root “sry” which means “to strive or to save”

El – The word for God

Israel in Hebrew is two words: Sarah (rule, strive, fight) and El (God)

So what we have is this meaning for the word Israel:

“He has striven with God or He has been saved by God or God rules”

Do we see this? So Jacob name being changed to Israel is to mean that God rules him and He has been saved by God. What was he saved from? His past sin. Now this is not the end of this story because the man would tell Jacob something very unique that you must remember because it will come back in this study to reveal a powerful revelation. The angel told Jacob in verse 28 that he was a prince and has power with God and with men and hast prevailed. What is a prince? A prince is a son of a king who becomes the inheritor of all of what the king has. Hmm, this should sound very familiar. So Jacob is the firstborn son of Israel. This is crucial to remember because this would become the type and shadow for the Immortal Generation of the Kingdom.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Psalm 127 Summary

Principals of the House of God: A Psalm 127 Study

Today’s Focus: Psalm 127 Summary

Scripture: Psalm 127

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Let’s summarize this wonderful passage of scripture as it pertains to the principals of the House of God through Psalm 127

Psalm 127:1: The Builder and Keeper

We have seen that it is only the Lord who can build His House. His House is His children, hence the House of God is a family. There are many people who work hard to build up their church memberships and buildings, but if the Lord is not with you, then all of the work will be in vain. Second, the Lord is the keeper of the House. He has given us Holy Spirit to discern the moves of the enemy and ways of men in order for us to be effective watchmen for the family of God.

Psalm 127:2: Eternal Rest

The sons of God realize that they are in their Father’s House and everything of the Father is available to the sons. So the sons understand that their provision and protection come from the Lord and they rest in His presence. The orphan gets up early and stays up late wondering how they will get their provision and protection met by their own ways and this is called the bread of sorrows because all of the toiling produces sorrow.

Psalm 127:3,4

The children of God are the Lord’s. Their obedience and faithfulness makes the Father proud. He molds them and shapes them like a warrior and his arrow. He straightens them with His Word and molds them by His righteousness.

Psalm 127:5

The House of God is the largest family in the Earth. And the Lord has many children whom He has groomed and sharpened and are deploying them like arrows from a warrior to fulfill their destiny. They were designed to hit a certain target of the enemy with pinpoint accuracy to achieve the Will of the Father who has deployed them

So in this series we have seen that it is the Lord who builds and keeps the family of God. It is He who provides for His family and they rest in His power. The children bring honor to Him through their submission and obedience. This has been and wonderful series and I pray that you continue to study and allow the Father to bring you into the knowledge of the House of God because the Kingdom advances as the sons mature. We need to focus on discipleship and maturing the sons of God. IF we do that then people will began to operate in the gifts of the Spirit as the Lord so ordains.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Purpose and Design

Principals of the House of God: A Psalm 127 Study

Today’s Focus: Purpose and Design

Scripture: Psalm 127; Ephesians 3:9-12

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Psalm 127:4,5: As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are the children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

God refers to the children as arrows in the hand of a mighty man. Now we can go ahead and put this in the realm of the eternal in the sense of God holding us, the sons (arrows) in His hand. Now if anybody knows anything about archery then we know that a warrior or archer does not shoot crooked arrows because they will miss their mark. Even in our current day manufacturing process, if an arrow comes out crooked, bent or slightly misaligned, it is no good and usually destroyed because nobody wants to shoot a crooked arrow. In addition if you were to go to war, a crooked arrow will miss the mark and leave the warrior exposed. So the arrows or the sons of God in the hand of God must be straight so they can be used by Him to hit their mark wherever He aims them. The straightness of the arrow depends upon the one that is shaping and sharpening it. Here is a thought. The arrow itself cannot mold itself so it’s shape and straightness is designed by the warrior for its intended use. When we are in the hand of the Lord, He molds and shapes us for His intended use. It is the Word of God that shapes us and sharpens us. A father molds and shapes his children in the “way” he wants them to go. Hence in the natural sense, fathers are to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, laying out a straight path for the child to understand who the father and the Father is when they come of age.

When the child comes of age their parents deploy them out to fulfill their destiny. Once we have been molded and shaped for God’s intended use, He deploys us or fires us, to hit the mark He desires to hit and bring His Kingdom influence to that area.

Psalm 127:5 goes on to say happy is the man that has his quiver full of them. A quiver is simply a case that the arrows are contained in. Hence happy is the man who has a lot of children. Now do not get this wrong, if all of the arrows in your quiver are molded properly and sharpened then you are happy and eager to deploy each arrow at will. You are not ashamed of your arrows because you know they will hit the mark as you have designed them to. God has the largest family on Earth. He is very happy with those children who do not rebel and have submitted to the will of the Father to be used by Him to hit their mark in life.

The enemy hates the children of God because God chose them to be the heirs of the Kingdom and not the angels. The fallen angels and demons believe that God made a mistake in choosing mankind to be the heirs and hence their whole mission on earth is to destroy and defile mankind to prove God wrong. Well we know that will not work and it will be the sons of God in the end that will have the victory. God will use the sons of God as arrows to pierce through the lies and deception of the enemy until every enemy is brought under the feet of Jesus Christ. Let me leave you with this scripture:

Ephesians 3:9-12: And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him.

In the next message we will summarize this series on Psalm 127.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

State of Mind of the Sons of God Part 2

Principals of the House of God: A Psalm 127 Study

Today’s Focus: State of Mind of the Sons of God Part 2

Scripture: Psalm 127; Matthew 11:28-30; Psalm 23; Psalm 37:25; Romans 14:17; James 1:5

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

In the last message we left of talking about being in the state of righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. And we showed that in Psalm 127:2, God’s beloved is His children and those who abide in Him and His ways can rest in Him and when they rest in Him in truth and in spirit there is a state of mind of righteousness, peace and joy. When we have that state of mind then we can truly rest in the midst of turmoil. Today we want to continue to view the state of mind of the sons of God and look at Jesus ministry on the earth and what the Lord had to say to the disciples and how this relates back to Psalm 127.

Matthew 11:28-30: Come unto me all ye that LABOUR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, and I WILL GIVE YOU REST. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Now Jesus is saying come to Him all. Now that does not exclude anyone. However Jesus is calling everyone unto Him. Jesus then states the condition to why we must come to Him. We should come to Him all that labour and are heavy laden. All of us who are burden down and oppressed, Jesus is calling out unto them. The scripture goes on to say that Jesus will give them rest. In Psalms 127:2 the people were toiling and being burden down early and late in the night for bread but the righteous the Lord gives rest. This is the exact same situation, Psalm 127 and Matthew 11:28. It is the Lord that gives us rest but we must come to Him and abide in Him. Jesus goes on to tell us how to do this and this is the good part.

Jesus says in Matthew 11:29 to take His yoke upon us AND LEARN OF HIM. What is the yoke Jesus is carrying for us to put on us? First, a yoke was something that was used and put on cattle or oxen to pull something for someone in the agricultural arena. Even with people they would put yokes on and they would carry something for someone else. Jesus is carrying something for us, that fits us perfectly. The answer is found in Isaiah 9:6:

Isaiah 9:6: For unto us child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

Jesus was carrying a government on His shoulder. What is the government of God? His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is the rulership of God over the hearts of men who are His children. God’s territory He wants to rule is the hearts of men because the earth is the Lord’s and fullness thereof. So He does not desire geography but hearts. Now does this line up with Matthew 11. Absolutely! It is in the Kingdom of God that we learn about the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why we need to understand the Kingdom because in understanding the Kingdom you must learn about the King. Here is the good part, as you learn about the King, who is also our elder brother you find rest for your soul because you take the burdens and yoke that was oppressing you and killing you and give it over to Him who can carry them. Then when you allow God to rule in your life (righteousness) then end result is peace and joy (Romans 14:17) and this is only found in the Holy Spirit and that is the Kingdom of God.

The Lord gives His children who abide under His rulership and obey His Will, rest from their labours and their ways of meeting their provision and protection because they understand that they are His children and He will provide and protect them in the midst of their troubles. Now let’s end this with this scripture.

Psalm 23:5: Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

In the midst of turmoil and strife the Lord will prepare a table right where you are and fellowship with you in the midst of the enemy attacking. The Lord will empower you (anointing) to overcome the situation or attack. Hence you can rest in the midst of an attack in the Lord and fellowship with Him in front of your enemies.

Rest is given to those who abide in Him and submit to His Lordship over their lives. Those who have not made the Lord, ruler over their lives will consistently toil early and all the way into the late hours for bread.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

State of Mind of the Sons of God

Principals of the House of God: A Psalm 127 Study

Today’s Focus: State of Mind of the Sons of God

Scripture: Psalm 127; Matthew 11:28-30; Psalm 23; Psalm 37:25; Romans 14:17; James 1:5

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

When we look at Psalm 127:2 we see that at the end of this scripture that the Lord gives His beloved sleep. Who are the beloved of the Lord? The beloved of the Lord is His children. Now when He speaks of giving His sons sleep, He is contrasting this against the mentality presented earlier in this scripture of waking up early, staying up late just to eat bread that leads to sorrows. Now God is not frowning upon work but upon the toiling that one puts themselves through to meet their basic needs when it is He that meets them. This is why he says it is vain, worthless, destructive to do this because His beloved trust in Him and rest in His presence. Let’s look at this first scripture to evaluate the state of mind of sons of God.

Psalm 37:25: I have been young and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging for bread.

If we look at this scripture we see it has been made aware by God to David that the righteous are not forsaken nor do they beg for bread. Who are the righteous? The righteous is the sons of God, the children of God. This means the sons of God are never forsaken nor do they beg for bread. The reason they do not beg for bread is because for them to be righteous, they understand first that the Father, God Almighty, supplies all of their needs. What is more unique is God understands that we need two types of bread on Earth. We need the physical and the spiritual. Now the physical bread which we consume is for our physical bodies. The spiritual bread is the Word of God and even as it pertains to the Word of God we do not have to beg and let me show you.

James 1:5; If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him

So God gives us His wisdom, which is also one of the seven spirits of Christ (Isaiah 11:1,2), freely if we ask of Him and He gives it freely. But we must seek Him in truth and in spirit. Let’s look at another scripture and remember we are talking about the state of mind.

Romans 14:17: For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost

Now let’s end this here and continue this to the next message. First, righteousness is a state of mind as a result of positioning. Let me explain. The only way that you can be righteous is to be in right standing with authority. As it pertains to Christ. We must be first in the Body of Christ but ALSO we must be in right standing with Him. You can be in your parents house, be a part of the house, but not receive favor from them because of your disobedience. Hence you are not standing righteously in your parents at give home. Same thing with the House of God. Many people are in the House of God but many of them are standing in right-position with God, hence they are not righteous because mentally they still are living by the world’s standards and not our Father’s. So righteousness is a state of mind resulting from right positioning and favor with authority.

Next we have peace. Peace is the result of righteousness. Every son of God should have peace because it is a direct result of righteousness and doing the Will of God. This is precious because when we do not understand where we are or what is happening we have a place where we abide as the sons of God, in Christ, that gives us peace from doing what the Lord says in the time of trouble.

Finally, there is joy. Joy is the result of righteousness and peace. You can have joy in the midst of turbulent time because we know that the Lord has not forsaken us nor will He not provide for us. This is what the Kingdom of God is all about, righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So you must have the abiding of Holy Spirit to your spirit and be in the Body of Christ and when you abide there in the right position then you are in the state of mind of righteousness, peace and joy. This is the rest or sleep that Psalm 127:2 speaks about when we abide in Him.

We will continue to talk about the state of mind of the sons of God in the next message.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Contrasting Cultures

Principals of the House of God: A Psalm 127 Study

Today’s Focus: Contrasting Cultures

Scripture: Psalm 127; Matthew 6:31-33

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Psalm 127:2: It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so He giveth His beloved sleep.

When we look at the first part of this scripture we see the Lord describing the lifestyle of many people and sadly the lifestyle of many believers. When the Lord speaks of rising early and sitting up late tells us that this a extension in the day for work. The Lord has granted us a time for work and a time for rest, each and every day. However when work extends into the time of rest then the body cannot properly refuel and be ready for the next day, resulting and stressful physical state. Now many people will say, I had to do this to provide for my family. Understandingly so, but what about God in these circumstances? Where does He fit in? There are two lifestyles that a believer can live but one that they should live. Let’s deal with the first.

The Culture of the Orphan

In our series on Sonship and The House of God we dealt extensively on this so please download those series and study. For the sake of time we will broad stroke this study. In the Garden, Adam and Eve were sons of God. The result of the fall was a separation from the Father and their Creator and left them in a state of fatherlessness. This state of being un-fathered is called being an orphan. Now the culture of the orphan is a culture of a child who seeks their own provision and protection because they do not trust anyone but themselves to meet these needs. They view discipline as violence, hence they reject the correction and rebuke that a father brings to their lives. The orphan toils and stresses over getting basic needs met. Now Jesus makes mention about this in a scripture that we will view later.

The Culture of the Son

The culture of the son is completely different from that of the orphan in the sense that the son is AWARE that because the son is in their Father’s house, hence everything belonging to the Father is available to the son. Moreover, the son is never worried about provision and protection because the Father takes care of that. They are solely focused on being the exact representation of Christ in the earth. This is achieved by being discipled and brought into maturity to handle the affairs of their Father’s house. Now let’s look at this scripture because Jesus makes a contrast between the two cultures and if you are a believer, Jesus will tell us the culture we should be exhibiting.

Matthew 6:31,32: Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or What shall we drink? Or Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Do we see this? Jesus said take no thought, or do not worry what you shall eat, drink or wear. What is He referring to when He says eat, drink or wear? Jesus is speaking about provisions. Remember the orphan is obsessed with meeting their provisions. Jesus tells them that the Gentiles seek after these things. Why does Jesus say this? Because the children of Israel should and do remember how the Lord fed them, clothed them and gave them water in the wilderness. He provided for them when they could not provide for themselves. So Israel had a template and example to know that the Lord can meet provision and protection. Hence the reason Jesus makes this statement and notice He does not say God, “For your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Jesus refers to the Almighty God as the Heavenly Father. Every good father provides for his house and notice that children who are fathered do not worry about provision, they expect it. Now we have parents who do not provide for their children and God will handle that issue because God does not pass the buck of responsibility from the parent. They will have to answer for how they brought or failed to bring their children up.

Now if God is your Father then here is the answer for the sons of God:

Matthew 6:33: But seek ye FIRST, the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

So we as the sons of God seek the rulership of God over our lives (Kingdom) and His way of doing things (Righteousness) and God will add (not work) all things unto us. An orphan will toil and stress over food, water and clothing and while they toil, stress builds and this leads to disease and pre-mature death. In the next message we will look at the state of mind of the sons of God.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Keeper of the House

Principals of the House of God: A Psalm 127 Study

Today’s Focus: The Keeper of the House

Scripture: Psalm 127; Revelation 3:1-6; Matthew 28:19-20

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Psalm 127:1b states: Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Now if the Lord is not watching over you then no matter what you do, you are a sitting duck for the enemy. Even if you had a watchman, if the Lord is not with him or her then your watching is in vain and this message is very serious.

The church at Sardis, one of the seven churches in Asia (Revelation 3:1-6) was a church that had a problem in the sense of living off of their past reputation. Jesus says they have a name, they live but they are dead. They are dead spiritually. Jesus calls for them to repent and do the first works which is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and then Jesus tells them to do something unique. He tells them to watch and strengthen the things that remain. Jesus wants them to get back to doing the Will of God and the Great Commission which they had received and heard. Now if you know anything about the city of Sardis you will know that they had a bad history of being conquered the same way twice. Because the look-out guard was not watching the fact that the enemy was watching him when he dropped his helmet over a cliff and down a hill, the enemy saw a way to enter the city and conquer it because the guard showed the enemy another way in. This happened twice!

We as the church are in between a spiritual war between God and the fallen angels and demons. These fallen spirits know they cannot defeat God so they will try to destroy and defile the children of God. If this is a spiritual war then we need spiritual eyes to watch over the House of God. These spiritual eyes is called the Spirit of Discernment. How can we see spiritual situations with natural eyes? You need spiritual eyes to see spiritual situations. Hence, God has set watchmen in the House of God to watch for the moves of the enemy. If we evaluate the current state of the church have we had watchmen set up? For the most part because of how worldly the church has become the answer would be no. Has God set watchmen in the Body of Christ? Yes! The problem is the watchmen warn of the moves of the enemy. God shows them what is going on and if the watchman is not the Pastor or leader of the church, many times they are discredited, shunned and persecuted. The reason this happens to them is because the things that they warn about are the very things that the people are doing and when the Word hits home, the people have a decision to make whether to listen and obey or continue in their wicked ways. So it is the Lord, not man, who set watchmen in the House of God to guard and warn the people. If God does not select them or if man appoints a “watchman” then no matter how much they watch, it is vain and they will succumb to the attacks of the enemy. This is why the scripture says “except the Lord keep the city then the watchmen waketh in vain”. The Lord is the keeper of His House and the wonderful thing is that He has servants that minister to the heirs of salvation. Who are they? They are the angels. The angels serve or minister to the sons of God. Are we in control of the angels? No! They are under the rulership and command of the Lord. We must allow God to add to the flock and watch over the flock. This can only be done in the power of God. He is our Father and our Source in the Kingdom of God. If we do anything that is outside of His Will and call it “God” we are simply wasting our time and energy and our works will be for naught.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Purposeful Work

Principals of the House of God: A Psalm 127 Study

Today’s Focus: The Builder and the House Part 2: Purposeful Work

Scripture: Psalm 127; Genesis 11:6,7; Ephesians 2:20-22; 1 Peter 2:4,5; Matthew 16:18

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Psalm 127 says they that labour to build the house without the Lord, their work is in vain. Have you ever worked on something, only to realize you were working on the wrong thing. We waste time, energy and life doing a good thing but not the right thing. To build anything requires labor skill and strength. But without God and His grace towards you, it will be a failure. Let me show you this example in scripture:

Genesis 11:4-7 is the story of the building of the tower of Babel. Genesis 11:4 says this: “And they (the people) said, Go let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”

Now God see this and notice it says that they want to make a name for themselves. So God flips the script on them because God was not with them in building this tower. This is what God says:

Genesis 11:6: And the Lord said, behold, the people is one, and THEY HAVE ALL ONE LANGUAGE; AND THIS THEY BEGIN TO DO: AND NOW NOTHING WILL BE RESTRAINED FROM THEM, WHICH THEY HAVE IMAGINED TO DO. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

Nothing about what these people were doing had the grace of God or God in it. Hence all of their work was in vain.

So many people are doing and building things that God never said do or build and unfortunately the work will not stand the test of time and be burned because God was not with them. Let’s look at some pertinent scriptures as it pertains to the Lord being the builder of His House.

Matthew 16:18: “And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Ephesians 2:20-22: And ARE BUILT upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; In whom ALL THE BUILDING FITLY FRAMED TOGETHER GROWETH UNTO A HOLY TEMPLE IN THE LORD: IN WHOM YE ALSO ARE BUILDED TOGETHER FOR A HABITATION OF GOD THROUGH THE SPIRIT.

1 Peter 2:4,5: To whom coming (Jesus), as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye (saints) also, AS LIVELY STONES, ARE BUILT UP INTO A SPIRITUAL HOUSE, AN HOLY PRIESTHOOD, TO OFFER UP SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES ACCEPTABLE TO GOD BY JESUS CHRIST.

In all of these scriptures we see the Lord doing the building of His House and house. Now the reason I say that is because the House of God is the name of the family. The house of God will be the sons of God because in the end, God will be all in all meaning: All of who God is will not be constrained by who He is in. Now with all of this evidence here there is no doubt that the Lord is the only person who can build His House. Any other method is in vain and destructive. Moreover when we think destructive, we are not just saying physically but spiritually. Much of what we see today will be destroyed because God was never a part of it. This is why we must be connected to Christ so we can know exactly the right thing to do so that the work we do, eternally lasts.

Think about this picture: Imagine all of the people who have come into the church house, joined a church because they liked the singing or how the preacher was preaching or the programs that the church put on. Think about how many people joined a church just to say they are a member of this “bishop”s church”. How many people join these congregations because it is the largest in town and they are a “fan” of the pastor? Now think about the fact that none of that was about God’s Spirit drawing them in, but by our performances and gimmicks. According to the scripture, EXCEPT THE LORD BUILD THE HOUSE (FAMILY, CHURCH) THEY LABOUR AND BUILD IN VAIN. Do you want to be part of a vain, purposeless situation? Allow God to open your eyes by His Spirit to see what He sees and what He expects you to do.

In the next message we will look at the keeping of the city in Psalm 127:1.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Builder and the House

Principals of the House of God: A Psalm 127 Study

Today’s Focus: The Builder and the House

Scripture: Psalm 127:1

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

When we look at principals of the House of God we will be looking at it’s construction, composition and how it functions in the earth. So let’s get right to it.

Psalm 127:1: Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

There is so much here so let’s start to deconstruct and get an understanding. First from a historical perspective we know that Solomon was given the grace by God to build the temple at Jerusalem. Now there was explicit instructions to how to build the temple. David received the vision and Solomon, his son was the one to build it. All instructions and measurements were given by the Lord. So there was no mistake to how this temple was to be built because the contractor gave the worker’s the blueprint and expected them to carry out His blueprint and this brings me to the first part of this scripture, “Except the Lord build the house”.

Now we already discussed that the Lord gave instructions and directions on how to build the temple but there is eternal reality that God was speaking through this type and shadow. The key words to unlocking this mystery is in the phrase “build the house”. The word build in Hebrew is the word “banah” and it has a very unique meaning and it means “obtain children”. The word house in Hebrew is “bayith” which means “family”. Now if that is the interpretation this is what we have: “Except the Lord obtains children for His family”. Is this not what we should know about the House of God being a family! Look at the first two words, except the Lord. What does this tell us?

It is only by the Lord can the House of God be built. Him and Him exclusively. So many people take scriptures like this and pervert it to mean the church house. Now what has happened is there is such focus on the building and its size and the ministries within it. There is focus on members and having a lot of them and doing all this ministry work. Now it may look good and it may feel good but if God did not have His Spirit, power and grace in it, it is worthless no matter how big it is. So many people put a focus on going out and drawing people into the church house to build up members and some in good intentions invite people to the church house for service, nothing wrong with that. However if your intentions are wrong then you are building in vain. Everyone who comes into the Kingdom and House of God MUST BE DRAWN BY HIS SPIRIT. We have built huge churches and many of them were built in the wrong spirit and because of the cost to build such a structure, the focus is not on discipleship but prosperity, giving, tithing and feel good messages to make people stay to pay.

The Lord knows who is supposed to be a part of what flock and household. If the children of God would just submit to His rulership and present their bodies to Him as a living sacrifice, then God can draw them in by His Spirit and then He gets the credit. It will be His Spirit that draws them and His Spirit that keeps them. But when we use gimmicks and manipulation to draw people into the church house, then you will have to continue to deceive them and manipulate them to stay. It is a modern day brainwashing because you never really experience the true power of God because you were not drawn by His Spirit to that flock of believers. The Lord knows who is to disciple who, the key is allowing Him to show you and you follow.

We will continue with study Psalm 127:1 in the next message and we will continue to discuss the building of the House.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Summary of the Tithe

Truth About the Tithe

Today’s Focus: Summary of the Tithe

Scripture: Matthew 6:33; 1 Timothy 5:17; Hebrews 7:1-10; Genesis 14:17-20

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Let’s wrap this up:

Is the tithe a matter of the Law? The answer is no! We are not under the Levitical Priesthood order but under the order of Melchizedek which is a royal priesthood. Being under the Levitical priesthood, it was mandatory to pay the tithe to Levitical tribe. However when the first covenant was put in effect, we transitioned from Law to grace and now it is not a matter of law but a matter of relationship and condition of the heart.

When the scripture talks about storehouses, is it talking about bringing the tithe to a church? No. The storehouse was rooms under the temple at Jerusalem where they kept cattle and grain which was offered as the tithe from the other 11 tribes to the Levitical tribe who kept the tithe. The tithe back then was primarily grains and livestock and to preserve and protect it, it was kept in storehouses.

Who should receive the tithe? The scriptures say in 1 Timothy 5:17 that the elders are worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. Because we are under grace and the purpose of the tithe has changed to relationship, the relationship is between the older and the younger or a father and son or offspring. The tithe is given cheerfully out of love and grace toward the elder that watches over, or bishop over your souls and disciple you to maturity so that when the Lord deems you ready, you can oversee souls and rule with honor. The tithing from the son to the father is to show honor due to the elder. Is the tithe always money? No, religion has made the tithe money but the tithe is all about honor given to the elder who God has given you to watch over you and give an account. This relationship is not person to institution but person to person.

The purpose of the tithe is to be celebratory to show that you do not trust in yourself and your ways to get your provision and protection met but God is your source because you are a son and everything in your Father’s house is within our reach because we have an eternal inheritance from our Father which supplies all of our needs. Now if we could view tithing in its proper place, I know more people would cheerfully give. Not just money, but their time and whatever God has given them and then we they see Matthew 6:33 become a reality they will be on their way to maturing to be all that God has called them to be.

I pray that you are blessed by this series and understand that we must be faithful over the unrighteous mammon and when we are, the Lord will began to entrust with us the true riches of the Kingdom of God.

At Our Father’s Service

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Tithe and the Attitude Toward the Tithe

Truth About the Tithe

Today’s Focus: The Tithe and the Attitude toward the Tithe

Scripture: Hebrews 7:7; 1 Timothy 5:17

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

When we discuss things like the tithe, for most people attitudes shift from happy and joyous to skeptical and reluctance. But when we teach the reason for the tithe and the purpose and show people the significance through scripture, then the Word of God convicts them and when we realize why we do it, we are now more freely able to do it knowing the truth.

Now look at “Hebrews 7:7: And without contradiction, the less is blessed of the better”. Now we stated that it is a relationship model. The older (better) serves the younger (less). Hence the father serves the son. Now, the response of the younger to the older, or the lesser to the greater, brings the honor that is due to the older. We have this scripture:

“1 Timothy 5:17: Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.”

The word “honour” is the word in Greek “time” (tee-may) meaning money and/or the highest degree of esteem. The honor is in the form of the tithe. Who is it that supposed to receive the double honour? The elders, a person. Now this is not a forced relationship but a relationship connected by Holy Spirit bonded in love. The elder who is to watch over your soul labours in the word and doctrine and disciples you into maturity is worthy of the tithe. The reason you give the tithe is a show of celebration of your sonship and that you do not meet your own provision and protection but realize that you are a child of God in your Father’s House and you are aware and know that your provision and protection is provided by the Father and you have a heavenly inheritance to pull from. When you become faithful over the unrighteous mammon then God will entrust you with more knowing that you still are a son but have matured to understand that what is given to you is for distribution to the people who are in need. This maturation process continues so that God can bring you to a point where you can operate in the true riches of the Kingdom and rule with honor. This giving of the tithe is not on compulsion, manipulation or fear, but out of love and grace are we to give and this brings us to our attitude towards the tithe.

Jesus says that He loves a cheerful giver. A cheerful giver is one who has a cheerful and willing heart. Your attitude toward the tithe should be more of a celebration and not forced activity. Now Abraham said that God is the possessor of heaven and earth and he recognized that it was God who met his every need. Abraham was happy to give to Melchizedek just as Melchizedek served Abraham bread and wine. The greater is serving the lesser and the lesser’s response to the greater is in the form of the tithe and it gives honor unto Melchizedek to whom it was due. This was a celebratory process and not a grievous one. When we give out of grieve it does you no good and God knows this because your heart is not in the right place to give.

Now someone may ask what if a person does not have money to give? The tithe is not a money issue, it is an honor issue. Money is the least of the blessing but it is also the test point of whether you trust God for your provision and protection or whether you solely rely on you means and abilities to get that met. Another name for money in scripture was unrighteous mammon. However God has blessed you, you should be lead of the Spirit to tithe whatever it is the Lord has given you. Now let’s deal with some scare tactics that are used in the church and squash this mess.

If you do not tithe, will you lose your sonship or salvation? No. Will the enemy attack you more and more if you do not tithe? No. So what happens when you do not? The Father cannot entrust you with the true riches of the Kingdom so your maturation process is stunted because you have not come into maturity of understanding how to be faithful over the unrighteous mammon and you have to come to the mindset that your provision and protection is God and not in your ability to meet your provision and protection. Now when you are faithful over the few things then God will increase your flow as you begin to distribute what He allows you to handle. See if God entrusted the true riches of the Kingdom to an orphan then he will rule with dishonor and bring shame to the family. However, if the son is mature then he will rule with honor and He bring honor to his Father’s House.

Give honor to those who are worthy as it pertains to your spiritual growth. Money is not the only thing because not everyone has money. However the Lord leads you, you should tithe. It should be done cheerfully and not out of compulsion or fear. If you want to mature trust God and give honor to those who He has set in your life to watch over your soul and disciple you into maturity.

At Our Father’s Service

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.